1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic endoscope apparatus capable of automatically warning lifetimes of various components employed in an electronic scope.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a field of the recent endoscope apparatuses, there exist two typical sorts: a fiber scope type endoscope apparatus and an electronic endoscope apparatus. Both types of endoscope apparatuses employ various operation switches to achieve various functions required for easily, smoothly observing a body cavity of a biological body under medical examination.
More specifically, there are provided an angle operation unit (knob) for adjusting a curvature of a curved (angle) portion of a scope insertion unit which is inserted into a body cavity; an air supply switch for supplying air through this insertion unit to a distal end of the fiber scope or electronic scope; a water supply switch; an air suction switch and so on.
In the above-described fiber scope type endoscope apparatus, the normal endoscopic operation and observation can be achieved unless these operation switches are brought into malfunctions and the optical fibers are mechanically broken due to an excessive bending force. That is, when the optical fibers are broken, some pixel damages appear in the observed image, which implies that use of the optical fibers reaches the lifetime thereof.
In the other type of electronic endoscope apparatus employing the electronic scope instead of such an optical fiber, the above-described observation checking method is no longer utilized. Therefore, use history information such as a use time period and a manual operation number is manually recorded by an endoscope user so as to grasp necessities of a periodic maintenance and of subsitution due to a lifetime, or malfunction.
Under such circumstances, there are problems in the conventional electronic endoscope apparatuses. That is, the manual use-history recording work may give excessive workload to any endoscope operators and also may induce inaccurate use-history data. In the worst case, a very serious accident may occur if the incorrect use-history record is made, or the components of the electronic scope unit are overused after their lifetimes.